The Topps "Flexichrome" Process

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Posted By: Paul

Since someone else posted a thread about 1953 Topps cards, I thought I'd push the limits of this board with a question about the "Flexichrome" process Topps used after 1953 (they may have used it in 1952 as well).

As I understand it, an artist would hand tint a black and white photo to obtain the pictures used on cards like 54 Topps and some later ones like the 1960 McCovey and Yaz. This tinting process was obviously very different than the painting process used in 53 Topps, 50-52 Bowman and earlier sets like 33 Goudeys.

But what exactly was the difference? Why do the "tinted" 54 Topps cards look so different from the "painted" 53 Topps and 33 Goudey cards?

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Posted By: warshawlaw

The 1953 set involved the creation of actual paintings from photogaphs as source materials. Flexichrome involved using a dye and paint kit from Kodak to tint an existing photograph. The degree to which the layers of dye and paint were placed over the image dictated the degree to which the image looked "cartoony". A thin layer of pigment would merely tint an image; a lot of pigment would create a painted look. Flexichrome is out of date but kits can still be found for sale on ebay.

BTW, one of the more amazing collectibles I ever saw was the original hand-tinted images used to produce all the lobby cards from Gone With The Wind.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

1950s-60s trading cards that are based on a photo but have gaudy, almost fluorescent colors were made from flexichromes. Often times the background is a solid, bright color. 1957 Topps football is a perfect example of a set made from flexichrome photos.

The 1953 Topps were probably painted with acrylic or similar 'real' paint.

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Posted By: joseph

I have several that came from the Topps auction. My football flexichromes resemble a large decal.One of them came from the 57 set and the others are from a 60's issue.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

As I'm sure you're well aware, the 1950s-60s Topps football and baseball flexichrome are highly sought after by collectors ... One can find the paintings for the early Bowman baseball and football cards too-- though I'm not sure what medium they are.

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Posted By: Paul

Thanks for the responses. I think I'm beginning to understand the differences between Flexichrome and painting, but it still seems a little subtle to my thick skull.

Let's say you're a Bowman artist in 1951. You take a black & white photo of Ted Williams and you get out your paint set and start filling in color on the photo with paints or whatever material you like. Then, your painting is in some fashion converted into a mass produced card. That seems simple and makes sense to me.

Now let's say you're a Topps artist in 1954. You take out your pigment kit, which sounds an aweful lot like a paint kit to me. Then you start filling in colors on a picture or maybe a negative of Ted Williams. If you use the picture, then I'm not sure I see the difference between Flexichromes and paintings, other than the fact that the pigments used are obviously more translucent than paint. If you place the pigments on the negative, then I'm starting to understand the difference.

Thanks again.

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Posted By: warshawlaw

It would either be a print or a transparency (positive film). And the key difference from a straight painting over the image is opacity of the material. If you paint over an image the result is more opaque than applying a thin wash of dye over a picture or transparency, which lets the underlying image show through, which is why a hand-tinted photo or transparency looks photographic. Today, of course, the whole thing is done with computer software. I still don't think it has the same quality as a hand-tinted image, though, since any hand-applied process is going to have minute differences in degree of application as the artist wields a brush or airbrush.

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Posted By: davidcycleback

The flexichrome is a hand colored photo-- color added directly to the photo. For the 1953 Topps, the artist made a painting on canvas, paper or board using a photo as the model. It's like painting using a live person in the painter's studio, except a photo of the person is used instead. The photo itself was not painted on.

If the original art for a card is described as an acrylic, oil, watercolor or guache, it's a real painting like with the 1953 Topps. A paint painting based on a model, photo or sketch, rather than physically on a photo. For acrylic and oil paintings, you will be able to see and feel the brush strokes.

Some original art will be hand drawn sketches, perhaps with added color or shades added by ink wash (much like watercolor). These would be based on models or photos, like with the 1953 Topps paintings. I have some magazine original sketches that are a combination of ink, wash, charcoal and pencil. They clearly look like hand drawn sketches and not oil paintings or colored photos. The artist likely used live models in his studio. The original art for Peanuts and Dennis the Menace cartoon strips are hand drawn pen and ink sketches.

If the original art is described as 'mixed media,' it was made from different techniques combined.

For many cards, one can't tell for sure what was the original art simply looking at the card. You have to see in person the art or listen to someone who has. Obviously the 1950 Red Man cards were made from paintings, but for others one can't be sure.

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Posted By: Paul

Thanks. Now I understand.

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Posted By: Anonymous

Topps sent me black and white photographs which I converted into color images by using the Kodak Flexichrome process. A black and white negative was made from the image and that was printed on Kodak Flexichrome stripping film. This film created a relief image (different thickness of gelatin which absorbed dyes)and was removed from its support and placed onto white photographic paper.My retouchers (artists)added color, using Flexichrome colors to create the color images. These images were very natural looking because the film absorbed the color according to the density of the image. An airbrush was also used, when necessary.Kodak discontinued the process in the 1970's but the Flexichrome colors are still available for spotting and retouching color prints.

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Posted By: Dylan

I believe the original 1953 topps paintings would be worth quite a sum. I know that Bill Forsyth painted some of the 1953 topps cards in his own rendering and a few from some other 1950's sets that sold in the april 2005 rea auction. They were quite nice.